Scaling Down: What to Do First When You Decide to Downsize

Downsizing can be an emotional topic. Let go of the family home,
with all its memories? Still, there comes a time for many people when
something smaller makes more sense – less to clean and maintain,
fewer expenses and perhaps a better location, closer to
shops or services. Planning carefully can help ensure you find just
the right place. Here's how to get started, with ideas courtesy of
Top End Removals in Darwin, Australia.

Who Are You?

In many cases, people downsize whilst they are still active and
healthy. If you love gardening, how are you going to continue to
enjoy that activity or find a substitute? Perhaps you like the
puttering involved in maintaining a house or have a hobby such as
woodworking, painting pictures or developing your own photographs.

Ideally, downsizing shouldn't curtail the activities you love. Even
if you're downsizing because your health or finances require a
change, try to find ways to continue the hobbies or activities that
are important to you or to find acceptable substitutes.

Think First – Don't Just Leap

Whilst downsizing may be a good decision in many ways, you
must make sure it's right for you. Living in your own home means you
make the decisions. Of course, it also means you have to do or
arrange for things like yard work and house maintenance. If you move
to a condo or an apartment, you're giving up a certain amount of
control.

You may need to sign a lease that restricts you in certain
ways or be required to share facilities that were once yours alone.
Take plenty of time to think about just why you want or need to
downsize and what you're looking for in a new home.

Make a List

Actually, you'll probably be making lots of lists, but your first
list should be what you're looking for in a new residence. Start by
“blue sky” brainstorming – don't let money considerations
hamper you in this initial process. If you need help, ask yourself these questions:

Do you want a great view?

Are you thinking about a certain
location?

What about country vs. city vs. suburbs?

How many bedrooms do you need?

Are you looking for a condo, an efficiency apartment or perhaps just
a smaller house?

How much storage do you need?

Get it all
down on paper, then put the list away for a few days to a week. Now
go back and look it over, adding any other considerations that come
to mind.

Look to the Future

No matter how good your current health is right now, the fact of the matter is
that as you age, you will slow down a bit. Whilst many elderly people
can continue to live independently, you may need a home designed to
support that independence. Stairs can become a major obstacle, for
example.

A home that has a conventional bathtub rather than a walk-in
shower can become a problem if you have balance or mobility issues.
Give careful consideration to how you would manage in a new home if
you needed a walker or wheelchair.

Sometimes making downsizing decisions is like having a child –
until you've been there, you simply can’t know what it's really
like. Talk to friends and relatives who have downsized within the
last few years. What would they do differently? You may be able to
avoid making the same mistakes.

You can also find resources from
removal specialists like Top End Removals. Whether it's the emotional
aspects of making a move or the practical basics of decluttering and
storage, a professional removalist can help make downsizing much easier for you.